The PGA Tour released a revised 2020 schedule Thursday that targets June 11-14 as the first dates for men’s golf to resume play, marking the first announcement of a major sport’s plan to return to action after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The reshuffled order of events puts the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, as the first tournament following the suspension of play. The tournament originally scheduled for that week, the RBC Canadian Open, was canceled Thursday.
But other events were moved around, creating 24 straight weeks of golf into November.
The PGA Tour said the first four weeks of competition on the new schedule — the Charles Schwab Challenge, the RBC Heritage, the Travelers Championship and the Rocket Mortgage Classic — will be closed to the general public.
“At this time, the TOUR plans to resume play with the first four events closed to the general public but will continue to monitor the situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “As such, the TOUR will continually review available COVID-19-related protocols that could be implemented at PGA TOUR events to ensure the health and well-being for all involved.”
Earlier this month, the world’s golf governing bodies announced the Open Championship in England would be canceled while the other three majors were shifted back on the calendar. The PGA Championship is scheduled for Aug. 6-9 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, though the PGA of America is looking into backup plans in case it isn’t feasible.
The U.S. Open was moved to the fall portion of the schedule, to Sept. 17-20, directly before the Ryder Cup. And the Masters will be played Nov. 12-15.
The full schedule can be found here.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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